Acetylene-gas generator.



Patented Aug. 22, I899.

G. F. MATTHEWS. ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

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Patented Aug. 22, I899.

G. F. MATTHEWS. ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Mar. 16, 1899.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE FABES MATTHEWS, OF MONTREAL, CANADA.

AGETYLEN E-G AS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,527, dated August 22, 1899.

Application filed March 16, 1899.

T0 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE FABES MAT- THEWs, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city anddistrict of Montreal, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Acetylene-Gas Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in acetylene-gas machines; and the object of the invention is to devise a compact and simple form of machine which shall be perfectly automatic in its action and free from ofiensive odors and manufacture a gas from the carbid of calcium equal to any produced up to the present date; and it consists, essentially, of a generator provided with a central.

hollow stem having connected to its two'op- ,posite sides or to its four sides upsettable buckets to hold the carbid, the holding-catch of such buckets being released by the head of a rod extending up through the stem and deriving an upward .movement through the rise and fall of the gasometer, so as to upset the carbid in the bucket or each set of buck- Vets in its turn into a chute which leads to a water-receptacle, thereby generating the gas which passes up a tube in the middle of the gasometer, thereby raising the dome in proportion to the amount of carbid deposited in the water, a blow-off pipe of course being provided to prevent. any accident in the way of explosion and the manufactured gas being carried off through the gas-supply pipe, the

various parts being constructed in detail, as

hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

Figure 1 isa sectional perspective view of the machine, showing the interior and exte-' rior arrangement of the gasometer. Fig. 2 is a detail of a carbid-bucket. Fig. 3 is a detail.

view of the carbid-receptacle. tail view.

A is the gasometer.

B is the dome.

O is the water-receptacle.

D is the carbid-receptacle.

d is a hollow stem to hold the carbid-buck: ets d, which are detachably placed on the tower by means of small axis 01 Standing out from the upper and inner cor- Fig. 4 is a des'nn No. 7091366. (no model.)

nerof: the bucket d is a spring-catch diwhich slips into an orifice in the stem 01 and locks itself,s0 as to retain the bucket when charged with carbid in an upright position until upset' by the upward movement of the rod E, which has alarge fiat head e, made to fit the opening up the center of the tower d closely enough to catch the spring-catch d and thereby release the bucket d from its upright position and discharge the carbid into the chute c, which when it strikes the water at once runs down the slope of the water-receptacle 0 past the shield c and forms gas,which rises up through the water and passes up the only outlet-tube a, as the shield o prevents the gas returning up the chute c, andthus the weighted dome B is raised, being kept in placeby small wheels 1), running on vertical tracks I). On the dome starting to descend it forces the gas through the gas-supply pipe 0. to the various parts of the house or building where it is required.

In order to avert any dangerjof explosion, I have provided a blow-off or safety tube a which is provided with a downwardly-tubular cover a of such length that when the dome B rises to a high level it leaves the top of the tubea uncovered to receive the oversupply of gas, forcing it down and out. Attaohed to the overflow-tube a outside the gasometer I have a small tap 0. to draw off any water which may accumulate.

In the automatic working of my machine I have a contrivance by which when the dome B descends a small bracket 19 contacts with the turned top of the rod E and gradually forces it downward, thereby tilting the lever F until the pawl e engages with one of the notches e and raises the rod the space of one notch. The lever F is bent at right angles, as shown, Fig. 4, the end thereof passing through a lug on the sliding block which carries the pawl e. The pawl is held in engagement'with the rack by a leaf-spring secured to the sliding block at one end and having its free end bearing on the back of the pawl.

IOO

ments. By means of the catches c and e working the rod E up according to the action of the dome B the flat head 6 of the rod E gradually releases the buckets d from their upright position either one, two, or four at a time, according to number placed at the same horizontal position on the stem. It will be understood that the catches of each horizontal row of buckets are spaced substantially the same distance from the catches of the adjacent row as the space between the notches 6 The outside casing D of the carbid-receptacle D is made so as to fit snugly into a trough G at the opening of the chute c. This trough is kept filled with water, and thus prevents any possibility of offensive odor from the machine when working. This I consider a very essential feature of my invention.

The water-receptacle C has a lower chamber 0 into which sediment from the used carbid deposits itself, and is readily cleared out by means of the tap 0 The machine stands on four u prights,whieh preferably are fixed to the top rim of the gas ometer.

The lever F is pivotally attached to a stationary upright support of the machine and has a balancing-weight eto equalize the effect of the rod E. On the descent of the dome B the rod E is forced down, thereby aifecting the lever F, to which the lower end of rod E is attached. Consequently the pawl c',which engages one of the notches e forces the rod E upward, and it is held in that position by the retaining-pawl 6 which is attached to the frame of the machine in any suitable manner and not necessarilyinclosed in a housing. On the dome ascending the pawl 0 slides down the rod E by reason of the lever F having the equalizing-weight c and the pawl c then engages with the notch below preparatory to raising the rod E once more to overturn the buckets. The rod E is lowered simply by disengaging the pawls c and e from the notches e when charging the machine with carbid.

The shield c is fixed and is placed nine inches below the water and is in proximity to the wall of the water-receptacle 0. Any generated in the chute as the carbid descends escapes through a pipe H, leading out of the chute. (Shown in the drawings, Fig. 3.)

The four-sided carbid-bucket d has an inclined outer side to allow the carbid to fall out more readily when the bucket is overturned. The pintles d at the inner lower corners of the bucket are inserted in orifices placed at intervals in the projecting edges of the sides of the hollow stem (Z, in each case forming hinges for the buckets to swing on. d is a stiff wire attached to the cover of the bucket d. This wire projects over the inner edge of the cover and has a retaining-catch on the projecting end, which end is bent downward to form a spring, so that when the bucket is in an upright position and charged with carbid the spring-catch, which is inserted into an orifice in the hollow stem (1,

holds the bucket in an upright position until released by the head e of the rod E. The double front wall of the buckets (shown in Fig. 1) is not essential, though it is sometimes placed there in order to free the buckets of the carbid more readily.

'What I claim as my invention is 1. The combination with the gasometer and an independent water-receptacle located beneath and communicating with the same provided with an inclined side or chute, of a carbid-receptacle located above the hopper leading into the chute, a central stem in the receptacle, a plurality of carbid-holding buck-- ets swung at different heights on the stem, a detachable means for maintaining them in a horizontal position and means operated by the fall of the gasometer for releasing the catch of each successive bucket so that it upsets and deposits its contents upon the chute as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with the gasometer and an independent water-receptacle located beneath the same provided with a tube extending from the water-receptacle up into the gasometer and an inclined side forming a chute for the carbid, a defiecting-shield intermediate of the length of the chute, a hopper formed at the top of the chute, a carbidreceptacle located on same, a central stem in the receptacle, a plurality of carbid-holding buckets swung at different heights on the stem, a detachable means for maintaining them in a horizontal position and means operated by the fall of the gasometer for releasing the catch of each successive bucket, so that it upsets and deposits its contents upon the chute as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination with the gasometer and an independent water-receptacle located beneath and communicating with the same provided with an inclined side or chute, of a car bid-receptacle located above the hopper leading onto the chute, a hollow stem suitably supported on the carbid-receptacle, a series of buckets located above each other and pivotally swung on the stem, a catch extending through a recess in the stem and holding the buckets in their normal horizontal position, a rod extending upwardly through the stem provided with a suitable head designed to engage with the catch to loosen the same, and means connected with the gasometer for imparting an upward movement to such rod upon each downward movement or fall of the gasometer-dome as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination with the gasometer and an independent Water-receptacle located beneath and communicating with the same provided with an inclined side or chute, of a carbid-receptacle located above the hopper leading into the-chute, a hollow stem suitably supported on the carbid-receptacle, a series of buckets located above each other and pivotally swung on the stem, a catch extending through a recess in the stem and holding the ICC IIC

neath and communicating with the same and provided with an inclined side or chute, of a carbid-receptacle located above the hopper leading into the chute, a hollow stem suitably supported on the carbid-receptacle, a series of buckets located above each other and pivally swung on the stem, a catch'eXtending through a recess in the stem and holding the buckets in their normal horizontal position,

a'rod extending upwardly through the stem provided with a suitable head designed to engage with the catch to loosen the same, a series of notches on such rod substantially corresponding in distance apart with the distance between the catches of the buckets in the stem, a suitable lever pivoted in the frame, a pawl connected to one end of the lever and engaging the rack, a retaining-pawl, a rod connected to the opposite 'end of the lever and provided with a bent upper end and suitably supported in the frame, and a projecting bracket extending from the top of the gasometer and designed to come in contact with the rod, so as to tilt the operating-lever at the bottom thereof on its pivot as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at Montreal this 13th day of Febru-' ary,'1899.

GEO. FABES MATTHEWS. Witnesses:

CLARENCE MEDLEY, RICHARD COLLINS. 

